On My Own Deluxe

Chronique

The title On My Own is a nod to Plays Well with Others, the 2018 album where Lera Lynn collaborated with a number of similarly minded musicians. This 2020 record flips that notion on its head: Lynn created the entire project on her own, from its composition to its production. Remarkably, On My Own doesn't feel as spare and spectral as Resistor, the 2016 record she released in the wake of her appearance on True Detective's second season. Make no mistakes, it's still moody, even spooky, but there's an enveloping warmth to the ten songs on On My Own that makes it seem reassuring, not lonely. Some of that consoling spirit is due to Lynn playing more with rhythms and textures, a move that results in the insistent opener "Are You Listening" and the chill groove of "Let Me Tell You Something," not to mention the evocative creep of "Isolation." These lively, colorful numbers outweigh the expertly executed sad songs scattered throughout the record, giving the music shade and momentum, characteristics that help make On My Own Lera Lynn's richest and best album yet.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo